The City of White Plains Joins ArtsWestchester to Celebrate the Completion of New Public Art Installation in the City’s Downtown

Vibrant Public Art Project Designed and Installed by Bronx Street Artist “Wane One” Commemorates 20th Anniversary of ArtsWestchester Building

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – White Plains Mayor Tom Roach and ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam today joined the community to celebrate the completion of a new street mural on Mamaroneck and Martine Avenues. The public art project, created by well-known street artist Wayne “Wane One” Peterkin and made possible by ArtsWestchester and the City of White Plains, commemorates the 20th anniversary of the arts council building.

“The public art piece serves as a colorful welcome mat inviting residents and visitors to White Plains and into ArtsWestchester’s gallery, as well as our nine-story building filled with artist studios and creative businesses,” Langsam said.

Marked by a ribbon cutting, today’s ceremony officially unveiled the 1,650-square foot street art installation that spans across the street entrance of ArtsWestchester. Named “Brighter Colors Better Life,” the mural is a visual composition of deconstructed geometric shapes created by a harmonious buildup of oversized 2D prisms of vibrant colors and hues. The alternating shapes and colors side by side creates a unique and interesting aesthetic.

Wane One explains, “’Brighter Colors Better Life’ is inspired by ArtsWestchester’s enduring presence in Westchester County.” He continued, “The secret to longevity is adaptability and transformation. The arts adapt and transform, and they endure. My design pays tribute to the dynamism of downtown White Plains, while the shifting colors are a nod to the transformative powers of the arts as embodied by ArtsWestchester.”

According to Wane One, this mural was designed in a technique that produces a kaleidoscopic effect for viewers as they engage with interesting lines, shapes and colors. The neatly crafted and abstracted designs are painted behind the larger shapes, pushing them to the foreground and popping the brighter color shapes off the background. When looking at the mural from street view, it appears that the abstracted shapes are floating in space as the grey primer will seamlessly blend the mural with the surrounding buildings and environment.

“ArtsWestchester has been a great champion of utilizing art to enliven our public spaces,” said White Plains Mayor Tom Roach. “We are so pleased to have been able to work with them on this project – a first of its kind for White Plains. These kinds of projects generate excitement, spark conversation, and force us all to think about and view our city in a different light. We hope this leads to other collaborative opportunities with ArtsWestchester as we continue to work to make downtown White Plains an engaging, vibrant place.”

The installation of the street mural comes two months after ArtsWestchester put its name on its building. The organization added two signs on the building façade that now better designates it as the cultural destination that it has become. A former Peoples National Bank & Trust building, ArtsWestchester acquired 31 Mamaroneck Avenue in 1998, and since then, has been hard at work restoring and creatively adapting the use of the nine-story cultural treasure into an arts incubator and multi-use arts center, while preserving the landmark building.

To continue the 20th anniversary building celebration, ArtsWestchester will host “Arts ‘Birthday’ Bash” on Thursday, May 17 at 6:00 p.m. The event, which will feature food, fun and contemporary art, will offer guests delicious cuisine and cocktails from more than 30 prestigious restaurants, as well as the opportunity to meet well-known artists in their open studios throughout the historic building. A Family ArtsBash event will take place on the following Saturday, where kids can partake in a variety of hands-on art activities and artist-led workshops.

Family ArtsBash also features an opportunity for families to explore the artwork featured in The ArtsWestchester Triennial exhibit, which showcases the vanguard of the region’s arts community. A snapshot of “what’s now” and “what’s new” in contemporary visual art throughout the Hudson Valley region, the exhibit runs through July 28. This once-every-three-years art exhibition will become a mainstay of ArtsWestchester’s exhibition programming.